Examination table providing x-ray densitometry

ABSTRACT

A dual energy x-ray densitometer is incorporated into a standard patient examination table to provide improved access to this screening tool during regular examinations. A repositionable scanning head allows the table to remain unobstructed when scanning is not occurring and a limited scanning area allows the examination table to retain standard examination table features such as table extensions, foot end drawers, trays and stirrups, and a step for access to the high examination table surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to examination tables for doctor's offices and in particular to an examination table providing in-office x-ray densitometry for bone health screening and the like.

It is estimated that as many as one out of two women over the age of 45 may have osteoporosis, a disease characterized by loss of bone mass, ultimately leading to bone fracture. Although osteoporosis is treatable, it often goes unrecognized. It is believed that over 21 million people in the United States have osteoporosis but don't recognize it. Globally, over 80 percent of cases of osteoporosis go undiagnosed.

X-ray densitometers may provide an accurate assessment of bone health with respect to osteoporosis. Such densitometers make measurements at two x-ray energy levels. The measurements are mathematically combined to produce an image of bone substantially free from surrounding soft tissue. An analysis of this bone-only image allows quantitative measurement in vivo of areal bone density as well as improved bone imaging.

Conventional x-ray densitometers are bulky, limiting their accessibility and use during routine patient examinations when screening for osteoporosis might be accomplished.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an x-ray densitometer incorporated into a standard patient examination table to provide either bone densitometry or unobstructed use of the examination table for other purposes.

By eliminating the need for separate tables, the space required for the x-ray densitometer is significantly reduced, allowing the densitometer to be instantly accessible in the patient examination room for routine screening. Important examination table features: including low cost, small foot print, drawers, stirrups, and table extenders at the foot of the table, and the like, are preserved by limiting the scan area to several compact regions of interest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an examination table equipped for bone densitometry showing a C-arm positioned within the pedestal of the examination table providing a pivoting upper arm such as allows unobstructed access to the examination table when densitometry is not required;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view the foot of the table of FIG. 1 showing the upholstered top, the table extension, heated tray, and stirrup in retracted positions;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the stirrup of FIG. 2 in extended position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of a paper roll supported at the head of the examination table of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective phantom view of the C-arm of FIG. 1 showing an internal mechanism for transverse scanning of the x-ray tube and detector, and an external mechanism for longitudinal scanning of the entire C-arm to obtain a raster pattern;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a pivot allowing a swinging of the upper arm of the C-arm between a scanning and into a stowed position about a vertical axis;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation view of an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the upper arm of the C-arm pivots vertically rather than horizontally;

FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of the conversion of dual energy measurements into basis material measurements of bone and soft tissue or lean and fat tissue;

FIG. 9 is a perspective phantom view of an alternative embodiment of the upper arm of the C-arm providing an enlarged housing wholly enclosing the x-ray detector during the longitudinal and transverse scanning; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the top of the table of FIG. 1 showing the densitometry scanning area and relative portions of the patient's skeletal anatomy in phantom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, an examination table 10 providing x-ray densitometry includes a modified examination table 12 and a densitometry arm assembly 14.

The examination table 12 includes a pedestal 16 being a generally rectangular cabinet constructed of sheet metal and having legs 18 for supporting the pedestal 16 on an office floor.

Fitted to the upper surface of the pedestal 16 is a table top 20 extending in a longitudinal direction 22 to receive a patient (not shown) lying on top of the table top 20 also along the longitudinal direction. A head end 24 of the table top 20 may be hinged at transverse hinge line 26 with respect to the foot end 28 of the table top 20 so that the head end 24 may angle upward to support the patient's head and torso at a range of positions between lying down and sitting up. The position of the head end 24 is locked by a release handle 30 according to methods well known in the art. The foot end 28 of the table top 20 remains generally horizontal.

Referring also to FIG. 4, the head end 24 of the table top 20 may support beneath its upper surface a paper roll dispenser 32. The paper roll dispenser 32 provides an axle 34 fitting within standard hollow-core paper roll 36 so that a sheet of paper 38 may be pulled up over the top of the head end 24 of the table top 20. The paper 38 may be drawn along the surface of the table top 20 in a longitudinal direction to be retained under bands 39 providing a clean surface for each patient.

The length of the table top 20 is less than the maximum expected patient height to provide more space within the examination room. The shortened length of the table top 20 also facilitates the patient's sitting up with his or her legs dangling over the foot end 28 toward the floor. As shown in FIG. 2, if the patient must subsequently lie down, a table extension 40 may be drawn from the foot end 28 of the table top 20 allowing full support of the patient's feet without a great amount of movement of the patient. When retracted, the table extension 40 fits within the foot end 28 of the tabletop.

A head end 42 of the pedestal 16, which in a conventional examination table normally contains drawers, is left empty to support a lower arm of a C-arm 46 being part of the densitometry arm assembly 14 as will be described. In contrast, the foot end 48 of the pedestal 16, shown also in FIG. 1, includes a number of longitudinally sliding drawers 50 including, for example, a heated drawer 52 for holding instruments at a temperature near that of body temperature as are well known in the art of examination tables.

A step 51 may slide in and out of the pedestal 16, longitudinally in drawer fashion, to allow the patient to climb up onto the table top 20 which unlike radiographic tables is more highly elevated, normally 31 inches above the floor, to facilitate examination.

Stirrups 54, as also shown also in FIG. 3, may extend longitudinally on either side of an upper drawer 50 by means of stirrup extension rods 56 to provide stirrup loops 60 that pivot about pivot axis 58 to receive a patient's feet, also according to methods well known in the art.

The side of the pedestal may support a convenience electrical outlet 49 attached via internal wiring to a source of line voltage.

Fitted to the upper surface of the table top 20, as shown in FIG. 2, and extending its full length between the head end 24 and foot end 28, is upholstery 62 comprised of an internal cushion layer 64, typically of a polyurethane foam, covered by a water-resistant and x-ray transparent outer covering 66. The upholstery 62 is supported by an underlying radio translucent foam-cored, fiber composite 67 a portion of which is shown in FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5, as mentioned above, a lower extension 44 of a C-arm 46 of the densitometry arm assembly 14 may fit within the pedestal 16 beneath the head end 24 of the table top 20. A corresponding upper extension 68 of the C-arm 46 may then pivot between a longitudinal stowed position, as shown in FIG. 1, or to a transverse scanning position, as shown in FIG. 5, the latter with upper and lower extensions of the C-arm 46 in aligned opposition about a vertical axis.

The lower extension 44 supports a movable carriage 70 holding an x-ray tube 72 directing a pencil fan or cone beam 74 of x-rays vertically so as to pass through the head end 24 of the table top 20. Desirably, the end of the lower extension 44 is positioned significantly below the top of the table top 20 when a fan beam is used in order to provide sufficient fan beam width.

The fan beam 74 is then intercepted by a corresponding detector 76 on a movable carriage 78 within the upper extension 68 of the C-arm 46. When the C-arm 46 is in the scanning position, carriages 70 and 78 may move in tandem under the influence of servo or stepper motors 80 so that the fan beam 74 may scan transversely as indicated by arrow 82 in a lateral direction across a patient supine on table top 20.

An additional stepper motor 86 positioned in the head end 42 of the pedestal 16 allows motion of the entire C-arm 46 on tracks 88 in a longitudinal direction 22. According to conventions in the art, the motion of carriages 78 and 70 and C-arm 46 is coordinated so as to trace out a raster scan 90 having a pitch sufficient to provide continuous coverage of the patient with the fan beam 74 over a patient scan area 140. At regular points within the patient scan area 140, dual energy measurements indicating attenuation of the fan beam 74 through the patient at two energies.

Referring now the FIGS. 5 and 6, a vertical column 92 of the C-arm 46 joining the upper extension 68 and the lower extension 44 may include at its top end a pivot joint 94 having a hinge plate 104 from which vertically extends a hinge pin 96. The hinge pin 96 includes a hollow center 98 for passage of electrical cables and the like and is received within a corresponding bore 100 of a hinge plate 110. The hinge plate 110 is thus free to swivel about a vertical axis with respect to the column 92.

The hinge plates 104 and 110 include a number of mounting holes 105 for attaching each to the lower extension 44 and upper extension 68, respectively. Hinge plate 110 and may be retained on the hinge pin 96 by cap screws 106 fastening a retainer disk 108 to the hinge pin 96 to sandwich the hinge plate 110 between the hinge plate 104 and the retainer disk 108.

The hinge plate 110 includes a guide hole 112 aligning with a corresponding first guide hole 114 in hinge plate 104, when the upper extension 68 is extending transversely across the patient in a scanning position, and aligning with a corresponding second guide hole 116 spaced 90 degrees from first guide hole 114 when the upper extension 68 is extending longitudinally in a stowed position as shown in FIG. 1.

A locking pin 118 may pass through guide hole 112 and one of guide holes 114 and 116 to hold the arm in the respective positions. In this manner, the C-arm may be configured as shown in FIG. 5 for densitometry and, as shown in FIG. 1, to provide unobstructed access to the examination table for other purposes.

Referring now to FIG. 7, in an alternative embodiment, the upper extension 68 and column 92 of the C-arm 46 may be hinged about a horizontal axis so that the upper extension 68 may move between a horizontal scanning position A and a vertical stowed position B as indicated by arrow 120. A mechanical assist through spring loaded cable 122 may be provided so that the arm is stable in either position A or B, according to methods well known in the mechanical arts.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the densitometry arm assembly 14 provides a control terminal 124 and a controller 126 to provide an interface for a doctor to initiate and control the scanning and to receive processed signals derived from the dual energy measurements and relevant to bone health.

Referring generally to FIG. 8, as is understood in the art, each dual energy measurement defines a data point 130 characterized by particular high-and low-energy attenuation reading. These readings may be obtained by use of an energy discriminating detector 76 such as a CZT detector and a multi-energy x-ray tube 72 or by a switched voltage or filtered x-ray source 72 and a standard detector 76 such as a CCD detector or other combination well known in the art.

A first and second basis material may be defined by slopes 132 and 134, respectively, and vector decomposition along those slopes, indicated by arrows 136, used to determine effective attenuations of the two basis materials. The basis materials may be adjusted as indicated by axes 138 to provide for other basis decompositions, for example, fat and lean tissue, or the like.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a housing of the upper extension 68 may be widened along the longitudinal direction 22 so as to enclose the detector 76 and its carriage mechanism 78 throughout an entire raster scan of the patient scan area 140. In this way, mechanical interference between the patient and the detector 76 during the raster scan may be eliminated as well as motion of the C-arm 46. A similar mechanism may support the x-ray tube 72 within the pedestal 16 and coordination of movement of the detector 76 and x-ray tube 72 provided electronically.

Specifically, the upper extension 68 may enclose an x-y track including transverse track 142 allowing for transverse motion of the detector 76 and carriage 78 and longitudinal track 148 providing for longitudinal motion of the track 142 and thus of the detector 76 and carriage 78. Stepper or servo motors 150 may be used to electrically synchronize motion of the x-ray detector 76 with corresponding motion of the x-ray tube 72 in the pedestal 16. In this case, a horizontal axis per FIG. 7 is most conveniently employed to move the upper extension between the scanning and stowed positions.

Referring now to FIG. 10, convenient implementation of the combination of the modified examination table 12 and densitometry arm assembly 14 while providing important examination table features is possible by locating and restricting the patient scan area 140 to the head end 24 of the table top 20 above the head end 42 of the pedestal 16. This scanning area may be marked by a visible indication 152 so as to allow a positioning of the patient appropriately for densitometry and in particular for scanning of the lower spine 154 and femur scanning 156.

It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein, but include modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments as come within the scope of the following claims. 

1. An examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry comprising: a fixed horizontal table having a longitudinally opposed head end and a foot end, the table including a pedestal supporting a table top that is x-ray transmissive over at least a portion of the head end of the table; a support arm attached to the table and movable between a first position having a first end in cantilevered transverse extension over the table top and a stowed second position with the first end substantially removed from overhanging obstruction of the table top to allow access to a patient lying on the table top; an x-ray source and x-ray detector attached, one on a first mounting at the first end of the arm and one on a second mounting within the head end of the table in substantial vertical opposition to the first mounting when the arm is in the first position, the x-ray source and x-ray detector cooperating to generate dual energy x-ray signals indicating x-ray attenuation at two x-ray energies along an axis through the patient lying on the table top when the arm is in the first position, the x-ray source and x-ray detector being substantially offset from opposition in the second position; processing electronics for receiving the dual energy x-ray signals to reconstruct data related to at least one of two basis materials of the patient; and wherein the foot end of the table includes: (i) a step attached to the pedestal to extend from and retract into the pedestal with a longitudinal sliding motion; (ii) a table extension section slidably extending longitudinally from and retracting longitudinally into a remainder of the table top; (iii) foot stirrups slidably extending longitudinally from and retracting longitudinally into a remainder of the table top; and (iv) at least one drawer extending longitudinally from and retracting longitudinally into the pedestal.
 2. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the pedestal is sized to hold an upper surface of the table top at least 30 inches from a floor.
 3. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the drawer is electrically heated to hold examination instruments near body temperature.
 4. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the table top further includes a section for supporting a patient's upper torso, the section raisable for supporting a patient's upper torso in angulation with respect to a remainder of the table top.
 5. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the table top includes a paper roll support holding a paper roll for rotation about a transverse axis at one end of the table top allowing dispensing of paper along the longitudinal axis to cover the table top.
 6. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the pedestal includes an electrical outlet and wiring to attach the electrical outlet to line voltage.
 7. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein an upper surface of the table top includes an upholstery layer comprised of an elastomeric foam retained within a water resistant covering.
 8. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the support arm includes a swivel joint having a vertical axis so that the cantilevered portion of the support arm moves from a transverse orientation in the first position to a longitudinal orientation displaced to the side of the table top in the second position.
 9. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the support arm includes a swivel joint having a horizontal axis so that the cantilevered portion of the support arm moves from a transverse orientation in the first position to a vertical orientation extending upward to the side of the table top in the second position.
 10. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the support arm provides a C-shaped frame having the first and second mountings on opposed ends of the C-shaped frame.
 11. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the first and second mountings are movable by electrically linked servo mechanisms to translate perpendicularly to a vertical axis while in vertical opposition.
 12. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 including a motor drive communicating with the support arm to move the support arm for a scanning of the patient.
 13. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 including a housing enclosing the first end of the support arm allowing movement within and relative to the housing over a range of scanning.
 14. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 13 wherein the housing is sized to allow movement within and relative to the housing over a range of scanning in two perpendicular horizontal directions.
 15. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the basis materials are bone and soft tissue.
 16. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the basis materials are fatty and lean tissue.
 17. The examination table for selectively providing x-ray densitometry of claim 1 wherein the table top includes indicia showing the portion that is x-ray transmissive. 